Take a look at these sample ads produced as a portfolio project by Jenny Burrows and Matt Kappler.

These things have been circulating online, originally with the Smithsonian’s name and logo. A lot of folks assumed that they were actually part of a Smithsonian ad campaign. I thought this was some of the best public history PR I’d ever seen. It turns out the Smithsonian wasn’t aware of them until they went viral, and then asked one of the creators to remove the name and logo.

I think they’re awesome. The folks at the National Museum of American History should’ve snapped this up in a heartbeat.

2 responses to “The Smithsonian should’ve jumped on this”

Those are brilliant. You’re right; the “famous museum” in Washington should’ve called their licensing people instead of their litigators.

The Genghis Kahn poster was inspired. I saw a special on Mongolia a while back, that interviewed someone with the national science institute there, who said that random DNA sampling in the population indicates that about 20% of present-day Mongolians — something over half a million people — are descended from a single male ancestor who lived n the late 12th/early 13th centuries.

I think they should do another poster for that incident where Lincoln physically threw a guy out of a political rally. Something like, “Stand-up comics poke fun at hecklers; Abe Lincoln picked them up and tossed them like rag dolls.”